MEASURING SELF-EFFICACY IN PEOPLE WITH MULTIPLE-SCLEROSIS - A VALIDATION-STUDY

Objective: To assess the psychometric properties of a measure of self- efficacy in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Design: Cross-section al study by mail with retest. Setting: MS Clinic registry of a large B oston teaching hospital. Patients: 141 MS patients representing a broa d range of disability. Main Outcome Measures: The MS Self-Efficacy Sca le (MSSE), the Expanded Disability Status Scale, the Sickness Impact P rofile, and the mastery subscale of the Ryff Happiness Scale. Results: The MSSE has high internal consistency and test-retest reliability, b oth for the overall scale and for the SE Function and SE Control subsc ales, Results of convergent and divergent validity analyses suggest th at the scale is both sensitive and specific. Conclusions: We conclude that the MSSE is appropriate for assessing self-efficacy in the MS pop ulation. (C) 1996 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation